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It’s a familiar feeling for the writer. Once he or she has finished a manuscript, essay or book of poems there is a sigh of relief and a feeling of satisfaction for a job well done. The writer puts the work aside for a bit, then takes it out again and starts the editing process. […]

As a published author, I always look forward to reading FundsforWriters. Not only does it deliver C. Hope Clark’s fun updates about all things books (and life!), it provides incredibly useful news about literary grants, job opportunities, industry insights, and writing retreats. Last year, the newsletter mentioned the Pat Conroy Literary Center’s Writer’s Residency in […]

I like to think of Christmas Eve and New Years Eve as the forecast, the brink of something forthcoming instead of the end of the year. We stand on the cusp of better and brighter living. Of more hope. Of more adventure. There are those of us who have suffered loss, and I wish you […]

I have been a newspaper and magazine feature writer for decades. I’ve worked from big cities and smaller markets, both in the U.S. and in Europe. I have (on occasion) spoken on national TV about the stories I’ve written and had my pieces picked up by wire services and reprinted across the country. I’m here […]

That question comes to me at every event I appear at. Especially once a book comes out, like of late with the release of Murdered in Craven and Burned in Craven. The non-writer thinks that I finished the latest book just a week or two ago, and then someone put it on Amazon for me, sending me copies […]

In 2020, I wrote a personal essay that I just couldn’t get published. The worst part was that I couldn’t figure out why. My essay had, as far as I could tell, all the hallmarks of a publishable piece. It told a unique story (about my first same-sex crush at 25, an age when I […]

It doesn’t matter if you’re a freelance journalist, corporate ghostwriter, romance novelist, or free-verse poet, to build and maintain an income stream from your writing, you must proactively market your brand or service. The tools for doing so are always evolving. Twenty years ago, the key advice was to maintain a website and mailing list. […]

I tremendously admire people who regularly journal, and those who have journaled since they were young amaze me most of all. I love journaling, but I do not do it. At lest not often. I think a lot depends on how you want to use journaling, or why you feel the need to journal. I, […]

Last year, as the pandemic zapped the joy out of the holidays, four author friends and I joined forces to pour our energy into a positive project and keep our writing flowing. What started as a small side venture has now become a big, beautiful book filled with five novellas meant to lift spirits this […]

A writer recently asked me to review her memoir. She’d been through an incredible journey in her life, and I had to admit the experience amazed me. She’d already tried self-publishing a few years ago and had gotten scammed by an editor before also learning that not all self-publishers are created equal. A mutual friend […]

Eight years ago, I started writing after a break of more than a decade. I had last worked as a features writer for a thriving mid-sized newspaper. But so much had changed! Slowly, I began finding my way through the confusing maze that is freelance writing. Today, I have recurring writing assignments at several local and regional […]

Just a week ago, I met a young woman attempting to complete a novel. She was in a writer’s group, but leery of who was reading her work, fearful of someone stealing her work . . . and her idea. I explained to her that very few people have the guts to steal someone’s work […]